It Is time To Let Israel Stand On Its Own

Editor's note:  this article was first posted in Feb. 2009 on "World Impulse," the author's foreign affairs blog. Regrettably, it is even more relevant today.

Today, Amnesty International called for the United States to end foreign aid to Israel. The Author concurs, it is time to let this wealthy, nuclear-armed nation stand on its own.

Amnesty specifically called for a US reappraisal following the extensive and disproportionate use of American weapons in the recent Gaza operation which killed and injured countless civilians. It is, in fact, very likely that American weapons were used in the commission of war crimes.  Read the article here.

The US has long been the largest arms supplier to Israel; under a current 10-year agreement negotiated by the Bush administration the US will provide $30bn (£21bn) in military aid to Israel.

"As the major supplier of weapons to Israel, the USA has a particular obligation to stop any supply that contributes to gross violations of the laws of war and of human rights," said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa programme director. "To a large extent, Israel's military offensive in Gaza was carried out with weapons, munitions and military equipment supplied by the USA and paid for with US taxpayers' money."

The Author, however, is concerned with the over $80 billion of direct aid provided since 1949. It is important to acknowledge up-front that our national interests were well served by this support during the Cold War. Times have changed, and our continuing, one-sided support of Israel is costly in the region and the Muslim world. Further, Israel has not reciprocated our support like most loyal allies. It continues to authorize illegal settlements, conduct disproportionate military operations, collectively punish innocents and occupy disputed lands. The continuous flow of American taxpayer dollars have also not prevented Israel from spying on the U.S. on multiple occasions; attacking an American Naval vessel killing 34 (image above), and harboring terrorists accused of murdering American citizens.

That has been the subject of previous posts, it it not the focus of this one - which is to pose a single question.  Should the U.S. continue to pour taxpayer dollars into Israel? First some background.

According to an October 27 Congressional Research Service (CRS) report, cumulative aid to Israel from 1949 through fiscal year (FY) 2000 was $81.38 billion. This number is too low because it omits "hidden" funds. While it includes the $1.2 billion promised to Israel in the Wye River Memorandum, the old Food for Peace program, and the current subsidy for "refugee resettlement," it omits money from the DOD budget on the grounds that those funds are for research and development projects that benefit both the United States and Israel-a questionable premise. The CRS total also excludes estimated interest on the early disbursement of aid.

The Congressional Research Service report states that from FY 1994 through FY 1998, Israel received $29 billion in waived loans. (source)

According to Wikipedia, the U.S. currently has increased its annual military aid to Israel to the whopping sum of over $3 billion. We give this to a wealthy country with nuclear weapons. Our unconditional support for Israel was cited, among several other grievances, as grounds for the 9/11 attacks. We need to protect ourselves from terrorists, but we sure need to have a smart foreign policy that demands sacrifice from our friends whom we've supported for decades and offers all parties an honest path to peace. Perhaps reassessing our military aid to the state of Israel would make that position clearer to all the players concerned.

Middle East Peace Process Over

Thanks to Paul Woodward and War in Context for pointing The Author to this fine video. As much as bloguls and blogdits are wont to rail about the main-stream-media, fine journalism still manages to happen on rare occasion (there I go again). The most recent edition of the pioneering CBS News Magazine 60 Minutes is an example. Be forewarned, there is a 30 second commercial spot at the beginning of this video, however it is worth the wait for what is exceptional and revealing analysis of where we now stand in the Middle East. Look out George Mitchell... There are multiple mine-fields ahead. Cross-posted to World Impulse.


Watch CBS Videos Online
Technorati Tags: Gaza, Israel, Palestine

Bush Leaves - World Impulse Launches

George Bush is gone, and Pop Impulse readers have been enduring entirely too many political rants of late, due to an overpowering preoccupation with national and international affairs. In the interest of reserving Pop Impulse for music, travel and popular culture, The Author has launched World Impulse, the second member of the Pop Impulse family of blogs. So in a sense, the digital empire expands - if ever so modestly.

The latest post on World Impulse is an entire op-ed that ran today in Turkey's Today's Zaman. Formatted as a "letter to Mr. Bush," the piece is brilliant, the most appropriate farewell to G.W. Bush I've yet encountered. Penned by a Turkish professor, the piece gives readers the additional benefit of a moderate Muslim point of view. Altogether worthy reading. Read the original op-ed here.

Technorati Tags: George Bush, World Impulse, Farewell

Palestinian Scholar Speaks - Condems Rice & Livni

Pop Impulse is gratified to have carried Sameh Habeeb's daily feed from on-the-ground in Gaza during the recent Israeli military incursion and bombardment. Sameh, a photojournalist and a very brave young man, spent time every day documenting individual acts of Israeli aggression. His own blog, Gaza Today, has been a source of information and an anchor to his daily, email feed. Today, The Author is pleased to observe the current cease-fire by publishing the following article, penned by Sameh's father, Dr. Akram Habeeb, a professor and Palestinian scholar of note.


By: Dr. Akram Habeeb

Assistant Professor in American Lit based in Gaza

As an Americanist and a Palestinian intellectual who is not affiliated to any political party in Palestine, I feel that I have to stand up and speak out. I have to speak about the faulty policy which feeds the spirit of hatred and resentment. Almost every man, woman and child in the world knows that the American policy in the Middle East during the two terms of Bush's Administration is distinguished by being biased and double standard. Very few, however, are easily deceived by the glittering rhetoric made by some American politicians, particularly, the most articulate outgoing Secretary of States Dr. Condaliza Rice! Dr. Condi was very smart when she declared at the outset of the most brutal Israeli war on Gaza that it was the Palestinian side which is held responsible for violating the six -month truce. She was even smarter when she concluded her career by signing an MOU (Memo of Understanding), which is completely in favor of the Israelis. It is an MOU which further tightens the siege on Gaza and allows Israel to posses more American WMD to kill more Palestinians.

The most disturbing statement about the situation in Gaza was made by Dr. Rice was when she declared that it was the Palestinian side who violated the truce and subsequently is responsible for what is happening in Gaza. Such a statement is easy to be made by Ms. Condi whose accomplishments in America's foreign policy were spectacular! She promised that by 2008 the presidents vision of two states would be concretized. It seems though that she succeeded in having two Palestinian cantons, one in Gaza, and the other in the West Bank ! So we can easily say that Ms. Rice succeeded in fulfilling her President's vicious vision of having two viable Palestinian states.

Perhaps Dr. Rice was the most frequent visitor to the Middle East when compared with her predecessors. The normal expectation has been that Ms. Rice would have a deeper understanding of the Middle East crisis in general, and the Palestinian side in particular. As Palestinians living in Gaza, we expected Ms. Rice to have done some research about the demography of Gaza. We also expected here to have done some
investigations about the psyche of the true victims living in Gaza. We are not sure if Dr. Rice knows that more than seventy percent of the Palestinians living in Gaza are Palestinian refugees who had been kicked out of their towns and villages in Palestine . We are not certain if Dr. Rice knows that most of the Israelis who replaced the displaced Palestinians had come from far off land, from diverse countries to establish a state on the land of other people. It seems that Ms. Rice is very happy to see the Palestinians suffer under siege; she wants them to sing for peace in a big cage called Gaza, and if they protest by sending home made or ineffective Chinese rockets, she will hold them responsible for the mess!

The most recent MOU signed by Dr. Condi and Ms. Livne, one of the most notorious Israeli war criminals, stipulates that the American government helps in preventing weapons smuggling into Gaza. According to Ms. Condi, the signing of this MOU is only a step in the process towards a permanent seize fire. Of course she speaks about a process which gives the Israeli more time for human cleansing in Gaza; she wants to give the Israeli army more time to kill more Palestinian children and women. However, unfortunately this MOU does not stipulate that the American government stops sending weapons of mass destruction to Israel. The MOU does not speak about the most sophisticated weapons, the American government is giving for free to Israel to kill Palestinian children and women in Gaza. The MOU does not talk about any practical procedure to ban Israel from using DIM and White Phosphorus bombs that kill Palestinian children by burning their little and tender bodies.

The MOU has ignored the fact that the Palestinian living in Gaza are occupied ; they are not terrorist as promulgated by the colonial rhetoric; they are freedom fighters who want their legitimate rights, they are people who want to live in dignity like all the peoples of the world. The MOU has never included anything related to lifting the siege imposed in Gaza by opening crossings for humanitarian purposes. The Palestinians in Gaza do not bank much on the American government but rather on the good American people, the good people who do not want to see the tax they pay used in building the Israeli arsenal of mass destruction which is used to threaten the Arab people, in general, and the Palestinian people in particular.

Indeed Bush's administration has left the soon coming Obama's administration with a heavy legacy; a legacy of anger and resentment against the biased American government which does not represent the American voice which calls for freedom, independence and dignity. It is a heavy burden Obama's administration should waive. We hope, though that Obama's administration follows a different policy , a policy which is based on objectivity and transparency . We hope that Ms. Clinton, Condi's successor would be the one who would improve the image of America in the Middle East and the Islamic world. We are sure that Ms. Clinton would be more objective and realistic when she deals with the Palestinian Issue. We hope that the Administration would follow policy which balances between the nationalistic aspirations of the Palestinians and the divine dream of the Jews, those who totally disagree with the massacres committed by the Israeli army against the innocent Palestinian in Gaza.
Technorati Tags: Gaza, Israel, Palestine

Doctor's Daughters Killed on Live TV - Truce Declared

Israeli politicians declared a unilateral cease-fire, which according to pundits worldwide was designed to end the brutal Gaza military operation before the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. So let me get this straight, politicians in power started this war to influence Israeli elections and now they're taking a break to accommodate U.S. politics? What about the 1,200 Palestinians killed, 5,500 wounded, half a million people without water since the conflict began, and huge numbers of people without power. Four thousand homes are ruined and 80,000 people are homeless. Read first reports on the destruction from the BBC. Can you say "War Crimes?" Let the international investigations begin in earnest.

Australia's Sydney Morning Herald reports that Israel "kept U.N. aid out" of Gaza by design. How cynical and heartless. Now the news that in the last minutes before the truce, Israeli air strikes killed the three young daughters of a well-known moderate Palestinian doctor while he was on the phone reporting on Gaza for Israeli TV. Read the tragic account for yourself. His anguished cries are emblematic of the grief and destruction caused by massive, indiscriminate Israeli bombardments. The response of Israeli Members of Parliament to the carnage? They're making jokes about having to curtail their travels to avoid war crimes trials. No really. This modern day massacre was carried out in full light, though Israel did its best to keep journalists out during the fighting while providing a steady stream of state propaganda.
Technorati Tags: Gaza, Israel, Palestine

Day 21 of Israeli War On Gaza

Gaza War: Death toll 1150, wounded 5150

By: Sameh A. Habeeb:
A Photojournalist, Humanitarian & Peace Activist in Gaza Strip.

A TOUR AND NEWS REPORT IN THE UNITED NATION COMPOUND IN GAZA:

Israeli War: Water Crisis in Gaza

Israeli War: Bread Crisis

Israeli War: DESTRUCTION and Killing

A day of War 1

A day of War 2

Daily Feed About Gaza War:
1-Israeli air strike bombed a wedding hall in Rafah City.
2-Air strike hit the Khan Yonis Police station, no people wounded!
3-Israeli tanks invading Tal Al Hawa, western Gaza City, retreated to
the mid areas.
4-Child Esa Ermilat, 14, killed and 6 children wounded in Rafah due to
an Isaeli artillery shells.
5-Four Palestinian children wounded in Dair Al Balah City.
6-A child killed in artillery shelling near Jablaia town, northern Gaza Strip.
7-Bombs destroyed al Qouqa' mosque eastern Gaza City.
8-Three Palestinian fighters killed in Israeli air raid northern Gaza Strip.
9-Two Palestinian figjters killed western sourthern Gaza, Tal Al Hawa,
in Israeli air raid.
10-Israeli army destroyed many houses in Farta area, Bait Hanon, northern Gaza.
11-Two Palestinians killed mid of Gaza city.
12-Spardoic artillery shells eastern Gaza City.
13- A press conference for Arab and International doctors in Gaza
confirmed that Israeli is using prohibited weapons in Gaza.
14-Massive devastation in Tal Al hawa area western southern Gaza City.
Hospitals, offices and charities beside houses destroyed yesterday.
15-Israeli tanks opened its heavy gunmachine fire into the houses of
people eastern Gaza City.
16-Israeli shelling targeted the northern areas of Gaza and no wounded reported.
17-A mother from al Batran family and five from her children killed,
several wounded in Israeli strike central Gaza Strip.
18-Fire still ongoing in the UN stores in Gaza.
19-Severe shortages in medical stuff at Al Shifa' hospital.
20-Around 300 wounded still in critical condtions.
21-Israeli air raids on Rafah, tunnels area.
22-Heavy bombings echoed in the first evening hours in Gaza.
23-Water still hardly accessible for Gaza residents.
24-Humantarian needs still unaviable and monitors said that Gaza needs
thousands of food trucks and permanent opened crossings to bridge the
recent Gap.
25-Artillary shells rained down in southern Gaza Strip.
26-Medical sources: Around 25 Palestinian bodies were found dead in
Tal al Hawa by Israeli fire yesterday.
27-Residents of Tal Al Hawa flee their houses despite Israeli tanks
dropped out for 2 kilo meters.
28-Many anbulances were found destroyed today in Tal Al Hawa area.
29-Clashes arise again in east and north of Gaza.
30-Bombings from the gunboats targeted mid and western areas of Gaza.
31-Drones still hover excessively over Gaza.
32-Palestinian fighters launched some projectiles in Israeli leaving 5
people wounded and in Trauma.

Israel Targets Hospital & U.N.

According to the International Herald Tribune, the United Nations is "outraged" by Israeli shelling of a clearly marked and well-known U.N. compound in the Gaza Strip war zone. The compound was sheltering refugees and U.N. workers at the time and there were casualties. Read the IHT article for yourself. And then for another perspective on the issue, read today's piece in Xinhua, the official Chinese press.

Previous posts have noted casualty totals, now 13 Israeli dead (some from friendly fire) and over 1,000 Palestinian dead and almost 5,000 wounded. Refugee agencies put the number of internal displaced (by the war) at over 80,000. A massive humanitarian crisis by any definition. And the children, according to this revealing article, are bearing the brunt of the madness. Of Palestinian dead, over 300 are innocent children - many blown to bits by the indiscriminate Israeli bombardment. Savage and barbaric are words that come to mind. Again, just what is the end game? And how can the U.S. and the vaunted International Community stand by and watch these massacres and war crimes unfold?

Technorati Tags: Gaza, Israel, Palestine

Gaza War - Day 20

By Sameh. A. Habeeb, Gaza Strip, Occupied Palestine

Daily Feed About Gaza War

1-Heavy artillery shelling on the eastern part of Gaza City.
2-Israeli artillery and air force destroyed Al Bashir Mosque in east of Gaza.
3- Israeli artillery and air force bombed Al arqam school in east of Gaza.
4-Artillary shells hit and burned Al Sa'd building in Tal Hawa area.
5-Israeli forces for the first time since 17 years invaded Tal Al Hawa area and made full scale of destruction and killing.
6-Fifteen Palestinians wounded as Israeli strike bombed a mosque in Rafah City.
7-Two Palestinians killed in an air raid targeted Hamas leader, Mah,moud al Zahar in Tal Al Hawa.
8- Israeli air force hit a house in Jabalia Refugee Camp.
9-Artillary shelling destroyed house of Mashraw and Safadi family east of Al Shijaya area. Many people wounded in the place.
10-Israeli army bombarded a computer shop in Rafah market and a nearby Mosque called Al Abrar.
11-Heavy shelling from the artillery machine in Tal Al hawa near Barcelona playground.
12-Al Wafa' hospital east of Gaza, partially destroyed due to 8 Israeli heavy artillery shells.
13-Three Palestinians killed in Sheikh Zayed city northern Gaza Strip.
14-A flat in a big building hit and a firer set in mid of Gaza city, Falasteen building.
15-Tens of phosphorus bombs rained down mid of Gaza City.
16-Fire set in many flats in Gaza Tal Haw southern western Gaza.
17-Israeli troops captured many tens of people in Tal al Hawa.
18-Israeli tanks and troops invaded Tal Al Hawa and destroyed many houses leaving many wounded and killed people.
19-Another flagrant violation, Israelis bombarded the UNRWA compound in Gaza despite their promise not to do it last week.
20-Two Journalists wounded in an Israeli air strike targeted Al Shoroq building mid of Gaza. The building includes Reuters, AP and tens of media outlets.
21-People living Al Amani building left their flats in one floor only.
22-Israeli tanks hit "Red Crescent Society" and fire ignited in the building.
23- Al Quds hospital is being bombed after hundreds of people took it as a shelter.
24-Israli army destroyed a theatre in Tal Al hawa area.
25-Rockets hit house of journalist Eyad el Zaem and fire set in the place.
26-House of Abu Ala khalaf hit in Tal Al Hawa, many injured in the place and paramedics unable to save them.
27-Fire set in many ambulances and stockpiles of medical equipments.
28-Israeli snipers spread through Tal al Hawa area and open fire on people.
29-Bombings targeted house of Om Sabri Saidam in Tal Al Hawa.
30- A rocket hit house of Muqat family, fire set in and many wounded!
31-A rocket hit a workshop for sponge.
32-Fire set in house of al Alol family due to Israeli rockets western Gaza, near house of President Abbas.
33-Two Palestinians killed in Al Toffah quarter east of Gaza.
34-Five houses burned by Israeli phosphorous east of Gaza.
35-Around 40 people killed today.
36-Five Palestinian women killed northern Gaza Strip in heavy bombings.
37-Israeli army and troops captured tens of Palestinians in Al Amoor area eastern Rafah City.
38-Artillary shells fall down in some farms eastern shijaya area.
39-Four people killed, 12 wounded as Israeli rockets targeted house of Al Naoq family northern Gaza, Jabalia town. The victims are, Sameeh Al Naoq, Mahmoud Al Noq, Muhammad Saleh and Abd Al latif.
40- Israeli soldiers use Palestinian citizens as humans shields in Tal Al Hawa area, in one of the populated buildings.
41-Israeli Radio: 11 soldiers wounded in Tal Al Hawa invasion.
42-Heavy bombings in Rafah City where Al Abrar mosque was hit!
43-Israeli F16s raided on al sheikh zayed City northern Gaza strip.
44-F16s hit house of Saday family Al yarmok area which is a very densely populated area.
45-Rockets hit house of Dr. Abd Al Mn'am Qasem in northern Gaza Strip.
46-Heavy fire is being opened on civilians houses east of Gaza City.
47-Israel says: 7 Israelis lightly wounded in a Palestinian projectile hit Bir Saba' area.
48-Many houses burned and Islamic society building burned by Israeli rockets in northern Gaza, Bait lahia town.
49-Israeli air force bombarded house for Syam family resulted in killing and injuring many.
50- White and Black smoke Billowing all over the Gaza Strip.
51-Medical sources: War victims 1100, wounded 5100. Child victims: 300, women 110, elderly men and women are 118.
52-A house is being destroyed in Tal Al Hawa and many people under the rubbles including a child and his grandfather.

Technorati Tags: Gaza, Israel, Palestine

Israel Bans Press - Aljazeera Posts Online Videos

In a stunning but not entirely unexpected exercise in state censorship, Israel has effectively banned all members of the press, journalists of all stripes, from Gaza. Press credentials? Don't even think about it. You can't go there. This is a tactic of despots and war criminals, condemned by all. Read this account in the English language version of Germany's Der Spiegel.

Well, Aljazeera has journalists on the ground in Gaza - they always have had a presence and they're taking lots of footage of the action on the ground. In a dramatic move, the opposite of censorship, the largest Arabic Language network with teams of English speaking reporters has posted its high-quality full length videos for download under a "creative commons" copyright. That means that with proper attribution, the entire blogosphere and journalists everywhere can rebroadcast these compelling video images. That's sick. Let's have at it. The archive is here.

Here's what the network had to say about their decision to post these videos: We have made available our exclusive Arabic and English video footage from the Gaza Strip produced by our correspondents and crews. The ongoing war and crisis in Gaza, together with the scarcity of news footage available, make this repository a key resource for anyone producing content on the current situation.
Technorati Tags: Gaza, Israel, Palestine

JPost: Hamas Not Crumbling, Growing Stronger

The Jerusalem Post, a generally conservative daily Israeli newspaper, today acknowledged that not only is Hamas not crumbling under the 18-day Gaza bombardment, it is in fact growing stronger. Read it and weep for the spilled blood of innocents.

As rockets continue to land in Israel (it is hard to call these home made explosives real rockets, in contrast to Israel's arsenal of sophisticated missiles) it is also impossible for Israel to claim that they've achieved the stated objective of stopping the resistance from reminding Israel of its illegal occupation. So the question becomes: Just what have the Israeli's accomplished with this devastating bombardment and bloodshed? Was it really designed to buy Israeli politicians a few votes before the upcoming election as The Author suggested in a previous post on the subject? Or to pressure Egypt to close the tunnels, as some are saying and has been reported here? And what is the end game?

This is what the Jerusalem Post concluded:

In addition to the heavy casualties, Hamas has lost all its government installations in the Gaza Strip, including police and security facilities, military training centers and ministry buildings....Israel has also destroyed scores of Hamas-linked charities and organizations that were providing the Palestinians with a vast network of social, economic, health and education services...Although Hamas has been hit hard, not a single Palestinian in the Gaza Strip has raised his voice against the movement and its leaders. Hopes that the massive IDF operation would encourage Palestinians to revolt against a weakened Hamas have not materialized...If anything, many Palestinians agree, the Israeli offensive has actually boosted Hamas's popularity and undermined the so-called moderates in the Arab world.

Technorati Tags: Gaza, Israel, Palestine

Gaza War - Day 18

By Sameh A. Habeeb, Photojournalist, Humanitarian & Peace Activist in Gaza Strip.

Daily Feed About Gaza War

1. Israeli war ships bombard two weeding halls, Al Jazeera and Shab palace on Gaza beach.
2. Heavy shelling in East of Gaza City resulted in the killing of many people and injuring several others.
3. Continued artillery attacks on Bait Lahi town.
4. The Israelis destroyed many houses in Khoza'a south north of Kanyounis where 24 citizens were injured by the white phosphorous bombs, most of them are suffering from third degree burns.
5. Expanding bulldozering houses and farms in Khoza'a and Najar neighborhood south north Khanyounis.
6. Killing a woman and injuring a girl in her arm and leg as well as wounding several citizens for their rejection to evacuate their houses.
7. Continual clashes between resistance men and the Israel army on Al Rayyes and Al Sorni hills.
8. Shelling a house belonging to Al Barawi family in Twam, north west of Gaza, four people injured by white phosphorous bombs. Injured people waited for long time until the ambulance men managed to reach them .
9. One Palestinian citizen killed and ten injured on Khnyounis Highway.
10. Targeting Al Ahli Sports Club in west to Nusseirat Camp.
11. Targeting by war planes missiles a house belonging to Al Shanti Family in Nusseirat .
12. Targeting a group of citizens in Nusseirat, four casualties. Ambulance personnel were prevented to reach them.
13. Targeting a house belonging Al Zwaidi Family south of Beit Hanoun .
14. Bombardment by two F16 rockets on farms in Abbassan south of Khnyounis
15. Artillery shelling in an open area near Jabalia refugee camp; three people were injured.
16. Warning rockets at residential areas in Beer Al Na'a Ja west of Jabalia.
17. Detonating an evacuated house in Al Attatra area where Israeli special Forces were inside the house. Al Qassam Brigades claimed one Israeli officer was killed and other soldiers were injured , while the Israeli sources have not referred to that incident.
18. A Palestinian citizen is killed and four other were injured, one of them is serious in Al Falouja while they were trying to get bread for their kids.
19. Alaqsa brigades calim killing 12 Israel soldiers in an ambush south of Baitlahi. Israeil sources kept silent.
20. Al aqsa Brigades shells by home- made artillery Soufa Crossing.
21. Five Palestinian citizens were killed and 10 people were seriously injured near Al Sekka area in Jabalia.
22. Destroying a villa belonging to Mohammed Madi in Raffah..
23. Targeting a group of citizens in Baitlahia, one was killd.
24. Bombardment on a house belonging to Mr. Amin Al Zwaidi for the third time, adjacent houses were affected.
25. Bombardment on Fatouh street close to Mosab Bin Omair mosque , three citizens were killed and several people were injured.
26. Air raids on Jabalia refugee camp where forty citizens were injured.
27. Bombarding a house belonging to Al Najar clan in Khanyounis where Mr. Khalil Ahmad Alnajar age 75 was killed and seven of his family members were injured.
28. Bombarding Raffah border area by 100 F16 to destroy tunnels; 25 houses were destroyed.
29. Thirteen resistance men were killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers south west of Jabalia.
30. Recovering of the dead body of Mikbel Abed Aljarbeeh,an old Palestinian who was killed on the second day of the ground attack. The corpse was found rotten.
31. Eight resistance men are killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers in Tal Al Hawa neighborhood south east of Gaza.
32. The Israeli solders shot dead two Palestinian civilians from Ayyad family in Al Zaitoun Neighborhood and one resistance man was killed by a rocket in the southern area of the same neighborhood.
33. Two Palestinian civilians, Hassan Shtaiwi age 68 and Mamdouh Shaiber age 18 were injured and later died in Al Zaitoun neighborhood.
34. Mr. Jaji Ramzi who was injured on Jan. 6th and then transferred to an Egyptian hospital died.
35. The total toll of the Palestinians victims have been 980 killed and more than 4400 wounded in the War.
36. Naval forces open heavy fire on Gaza shore and many houses were destroyed.
37. A Palestinian Killed in Shikh Ridwan area as a rocket his car and 5 other wounded.
38. Israeli allows some few vans of aids to get into the Gaza Strip. Hoever, Gaza needs thousands of food trucks a day.
39. Israeli Leader: Afghdor Liberman says that Gaza has to be erased from the Map by Nuclear bombs like what Americans used in Heroshima and Nagazaki.
40. Palestinian figthters fired 15 rockets into Israeli settlements.

Technorati Tags: Gaza, Israel, Palestine

UN Human Rights Council Condemns Israel

The U.N. Human Rights Council today adopted a resolution condemning Israel for "grave" violations of the human rights of Palestinian civilians living in the Gaza Strip. Read the Voice of America report, at this address. The article quotes Amnesty International representative Peter Splinter, who notes "...a humanitarian catastrophe is continuing to unfold in Gaza." He says "1.5 million civilians are trapped and exposed to death and destruction...the violence is continuing and the death toll in Gaza is mounting alarmingly." According to Amnesty's web site: Amnesty International has written to the United Nations Security Council calling for the establishment of full accountability for crimes committed in Gaza conflict and for deployment of human rights monitors.

What can you do? Contact your congressperson and express your concern. Contact the Israeli embassy to demand a stop to the massacres. And finally, volunteer to sponsor an American trapped in Gaza so that we can get them out. The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) is asking for U.S. citizens to step-up and be sponsors for the 130 or so American citizens that are trapped by the Israeli bombardment in Gaza. Children and adults are involved. More on that urgent request here at the CAIR site.

Technorati Tags: Gaza, Israel, Palestine

Gaza Didn't Have to Happen

There are many tragedies involved in the current Israeli bombardment of Gaza. Layers and layers. The tragic loss of innocent life, land and sovereignty. The loss of legitimacy and stability. The loss of hope. This revealing analysis today in the international Christian Science Monitor makes it clear that one of the biggest tragedies of all is that this did not have to happen.

It didn't have to happen. So, WTF is up with that? Well, The Author posted about this very issue way back in March of 08. That's right. Pop Impulse saw this coming, and correctly laid the blame directly at the feet of the Bush administration, Fatah and Israel. I guess the CIA must have missed it. Uh-huh.

Naomi Klein and others are calling for a worldwide boycott of Israel, arguing for the same tactic that finally ended Apartheid in South Africa. A great idea, worthy of support.

Technorati Tags: Gaza, Israel, Palestine

UN: Investigate Israel for War Crimes

A U.N. Commissioner and former judge of the International Criminal Court today called for a U.N. and world court investigation of what are very likely Israeli war crimes in the conduct of the current military campaign in Gaza. Read the full story here.

The U.N. commissioner specifically cites the recent incident where after herding innocent Palestinian civilians into a safe house, the Israeli Defense Force struck the building and destroyed it killing many of the refugees inside. A 3 year-old child and women were among the dead. Add this atrocity to the U. N. School bombed, the 6 medics killed, and the ambulance destroyed by an Israeli rocket attack and the reality of this massacre comes into perspective.

This is especially disturbing in light of Israel's latest statements that the war will be "escalated" in the next few days. The Israeli air force has been dropping leaflets that supposedly warn residents to flee, but the sad fact is that there is no where to go and when a safe house is identified the Israeli's bomb it.

Author's Note: Pop Impulse has been covering the Gaza incursion since Dec. 29th. Please refer to the original post for more background, and then read the daily updates that precede this one.
Technorati Tags: Gaza, Israel, Palestine

Israel Rejects Cease Fire - Continues Massacre

The government of Israel today formally rejected the U.N. resolution calling for a cease fire and continued the Gaza Massacre that has now seen over 800 Palestinians killed. According to U.N. numbers, the Palestinian dead include 250 children and 60 women as of earlier today. And of course, reports are now confirmed that the Israeli Defense Force prevented the medical evacuation of a civilian neighborhood they had bombed to rubble for four days. When the Red Cross finally came through, they found emaciated children huddled by their dead mothers. Still, no respite. It is a painful incident to witness, by all accounts. Read the details, here. (image from Wikipedia)

Respected voices are asking if Israel is in danger of winning the battle only to lose the war. Time Magazine asks: "Can Israel Survive its Own Assault on Gaza?" in an intriguing analysis piece.

Today, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution supporting Israel's right to self-defense - in what was a clear signal to Israel and the world that the Gazan massacre has our explicit approval and support (source). Mind boggling. And utterly clueless on the part of Congress. After becoming known for our attachment to torture, the U.S. is now on-the-record supporting collective punishment which is expressly forbidden by Article 33 of the 4th Geneva Convention. Uh-huh. That sounds about right. NOT.
Technorati Tags: Gaza, Israel, Palestine

Israel Strikes Elementary Schools

Today, the 11th day of Israel's relentless Gaza war, marked a truly low-spot in the history of the region as the Israeli Defense Forces struck schools in Gaza (including a UN school that had posted its location and GPS coordinates to multiple authorities) killing 40 civilians, many children, and wounding many more. This single act should forever end the debate around whether Israel's actions constitute a Massacre. If attacking schools and killing children isn't a massacre, well, you know... Read the wrap-up of today's hostilities at the Aljazeera site, here.

Remarkably, the IDF defended its actions claiming hostile fire from the UN facility. Uh-huh. We believe that like we believed Tzipi Livni when she said "...there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza." Rubbish. The UN authorities and well-known NGOs like MSF and Amnesty have all confirmed the obvious. Gaza is in the throes of a humanitarian crisis of epic porportions. All this carnage and mayhem just to buy a few Israeli politicians facing elections some votes? Some say that's all it is. Others say that this crisis is the direct result of the Bush administration's insistence on democratic elections in an inappropriate cultural and political environment. Those election were held, and the Palestinian people elected a Hamas majority to rule the territories. Fatah, the U.S. military and intelligence communities and Israel suddenly had common cause. That's an interesting and provocative line of thought. I posted about this issue in March of 08. Read the post for more information.

Late today the newswires reported that Israel has agreed under pressure to open a humanitarian corridor to facilitate the evacuation and treatment of wounded civilians. It will be interesting to see how the Israeli government will define this scenario and what details, like hours of operation and access, will be provided. Given that the Israeli authorities will not allow a single member of the press into Gaza to document the action on the ground, it is difficult to believe that this gesture is anything more than a stalling device or face-saving diplomatic concession. Time will tell.
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Gaza Update - Massacre Continues

As we enter the eighth day of Israel's punishing military incursion into Palestinian Gaza, the casualties continue to rise. The International Herald Tribune is reporting the death of 3 Israeli soldiers, and about 20 wounded. Palestinian casualties are said to have passed 550 dead and 2,500 wounded, many civilians. Many children. Children who manage to survive this furious bombardment and street fighting will likely be scarred for life. Fuck that.

Now, we are hearing stories of significant Israeli war crimes. Collective punishment aside for a moment, reports aired tonight on NPR's "All Things Considered" reveal corpses rotting in the streets; six medics already killed in action while trying to evacuate or treat the wounded; three ambulances destroyed by missiles or tank fire (read about it here); and, over 13,000 civilians displaced within the territory. It is important to remember that the Palestinians were herded into Gaza after immigrant Zionists forced them from their land when the state of Israel was established in 1948. The seven mile Gaza strip is, for all intents and purposes, the world's largest refugee camp. Home to 1.5 million inhabitants. It is surrounded on all sides. By water, desert, walls and tightly controlled borders - a real "hell-on-earth" for most residents. And, of course, there is no escape from the mighty and indiscriminate Israeli Defense Force. Can you say "Sabra and Shatila?"

It is time for the oft-mentioned international community, if indeed one exists beyond narrow national interests, to insist this criminal massacre be halted and final talks on the settlement of all issues be prepared. And what's up with the deafening silence by president-elect Obama and his team? One point is clear to all but the most myopic deniers: The Middle East will never see peace until there is legitimate and sovereign Palestinian state with contiguous borders and East Jerusalem as its capital.
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Gaza War - UPDATE

Newswires and observers are reporting that Palestinian casualties in the Gaza massacre now total over 500 dead and 2,500 wounded. Read Aljazeera's wrap-up here. According to humanitarian and non-governmental organizations on the ground, about 20 percent of casualties have been civilians including women and young children. One thing we know with certainty is that the almost 1.5 million inhabitants of Gaza are being subjected to a massive and disproportionate response to their feeble attempts to resist occupation and the denial of basic human rights. It is worth noting again that the UN Charter expressly forbids "collective punishment." Even the Israeli newspaper Haaretz courageously called for a cessation of hostilites in favor of diplomacy in this editorial today.

In the previous post, The Author pointed out that Israel sank an American naval vessel in 1967 and has on multiple occasions been caught spying on the US. Last week yet another Israeli spy confessed to conducting espionage in the United States on behalf of the government of Israel.
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The Magic is Over

According to French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, "...the magic is over," for the US. In an extensive interview with International Herald Tribune writer Alison Smale the founder of Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) turned diplomat allows that the next president of the United States will have a daunting task ahead. He offers the dismal benediction that: "It will never be as it was before." Regrettably, I am forced to agree.

As a frequent overseas traveler, I am concerned about our country's international reputation. George Bush entered office with a clear disdain for foreign policy and nation building. So it comes as no surprise that his now obligatory focus on foreign affairs is myopic, ego-centric and belligerent. It is shocking that his administration's attempts at nation building have been so costly and incompetent - creating more problems than before his intervention. What has come as an additional surprise is the amount of blood he is willing to shed, the amount of our national budget he is prepared to squander, and the incredible level of incompetence and corruption he will abide in his mid-guided adventures. Put quite simply, we are ruined. Bankrupt. The price of our government's folly is staggering and ongoing. Our grand-children may not dig themselves out of this hole.

The sad truth is that George Bush is going to spend his last months in office systematically making things worse on every front. You can take that to the bank. He's determined to see his twisted vision through. Neither Congress nor the bureaucracy seems able to stop him. An unstoppable, downward trajectory that will surely take him and his cronies to the darkest place in recent history. It is an enormous irony that in the face of such deeds, Americans still obsess about the victimless-crime of Eliot Spitzer, the ill-advised but consenting dalliance of Bill Clinton and the current mental condition of Brittany Spears.

Gaza Holocaust - Bush's Folly

As the Middle East boils with violence and war, it comes as no surprise that once again (regrettably), the failings of Bush's foreign policy are to blame.

Israel's military incursion into Palestinian Gaza last week resulted in over 100 deaths, many of those innocent civilians and some small children. Read about it here. This in retaliation for the 7th death of an Israeli citizen by rocket fire in ten years. It's no wonder the Secretary General of the UN described the Israeli response as excessive and disproportionate. By any measure, that's what it was.

Under the laws of war, we're told, civilians may be placed at risk only for reasons of military necessity. They must never be targeted to create political pressure, or for reasons of revenge. That's just morally wrong. Israel promised the Palestinians a Shoah, or holocaust, if their efforts to fire rockets continued. Read the BBC account of the threat here. So the victims of the Nazi Shoah are now promising their adversaries the same kind of treatment? And as it turns out, this current disaster is largely due to pressures and miscalculations by the Bush Administration. Here's the story.

After Arafat died and left the Palestinian people and state without a clear leader, the Bush administration insisted on immediate elections - though neither Fatah or Hamas really wanted them. Well, Hamas won the elections and Condi Rice famously observed: "...nobody saw that coming." Exactly my point. Cluelessness at the highest levels. So rather than support the will of the Palestinian people as expressed in a free and fair election, Bush decides to create a civil war between Palestinian factions. Another very bad idea from the mental midget we call president of the United States. The plot was first reported in late 2006 by Debka File, then here in Dec. 06 at the Arabist blog. Read some of the posted comments for additional background.

Now, Vanity Fair exposes the entire SNAFU in this revealing piece. A must read. His elections a failure from the US point of view, and his civil war lost, Bush has apparently given the Israeli military a green light to clean-up the whole affair in their usual, very heavy-handed manner. Not a pretty picture. This has inflammed Arabs and Muslims around the world at precisely the moment when the Middle East can least afford additional stress. One has to wonder just who's in charge and what they're thinking.

For more background on Gaza, check out these blogs. TabulaGaza; A mother from Gaza; and, FromGaza.